Poultry industry is one of the important food industries in India, providing eggs and chicken meat to the consumers in Indian market. It occupies fourth place in the world in egg production, producing around 36,000 million eggs annually from layer chicken. Layer chicken population is around 140 million. Meat from layer chicken after egg laying period is completed is tough and under-utilized. Value addition and effective utility of this meat can be enhanced by processing the meat into ready-to-use convenient products such as chicken soup mixes. These types of products are becoming more popular in India and abroad in the consumer market. Globalization of Indian industry has further opened global markets for the chicken-based products. Hence, there is a growing demand for products like chicken soup mix (dehydrated) world over. To meet these demands, effective utilization of under-utilized layer chicken would not only provide value added products but also supply protein-rich nutrients to the consumers. Further, soup would stimulate the appetite and flow of digestive juices in stomach and normally they are consumed before meal. There is a limited information on the preparation of chicken soup mix in dehydrated form chicken meat. The objective is to develop an improved process for the preparation of chicken soup mix in dehydrated form from layer chicken meat.
Reference may be made to patent number GB 2007489 dated 23rd May 1979 by Toyo Suisan Kaisha (Instantly cookable dry soup mix) wherein an instantly cookable dry soup mix was prepared from a mixture of powdered dried stock which contained several dried ingredients. The main drawback is that the preparation involved only mixing of dry ingredients, which will give poor body to the prepared soup due to lack of binding between starch and meat solids.
Reference may be made to patent number CN 1107670 dated 6th Sep. 1995 by Botao Liu, C.N. and Yumin Yong C.N. (processing method for convenient beef or mutton soup blend and its soaked, steamed bread (paomao)) wherein the instant beef or mutton soup blend was made up through such steps as boiling fresh beef or mutton to half-cooked, slicing, boiling, flavouring in the beef or mutton soup concentration mixing with starch, white sugar, plant oil, buffer and refined edible salt. The main drawback is that the extract from beef or mutton instead of whole meat was used for making soup mix and the process involved concentration, which is a high energy consuming process.
Reference may be made to patent number CN1293013 dated 2nd May 2001 by Li Deping, CN., Zhang Anhui, CN and Yang Yuiki (canned chicken soup) wherein a canned chicken soup was prepared from killed and cleaned fresh hen chicken, water, Chinese medical stone, refined, salt, flavouring etc. through steaming and canning the soup. The main drawbacks are that the product is not in dehydrated form and use of canning which is an expensive technology.
Reference may be made to Japanese patent number JP2002045154 dated 12th Feb. 2002 by Hayashi Hiroyuki (chicken soup stock and method for producing the same) wherein chicken soup mix was prepared by adding water to the chicken meat, heating the mixture, keeping the mixture at a temperature not boiling water to condense the mixture, filtering the condensed chicken extract, and then condensing the obtained filtrate by the use of a vacuum condensation machine. The main drawback is that chicken extract was used for making soup and the process involved energy consuming vacuum condensation technique.
Reference may be made to patent number U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,732 by Harris N E and Davis B A dated Aug. 3, 1993 (Dry soup mix), wherein in dry soup mix is prepared by mixing dry edible components such as starch, dried chicken solids, hydrolysed chicken protein and spice powders. The main drawbacks are the process involved use of hydrolysed chicken protein and mere mixing of dry ingredients will results in poor body of the prepared soup due to improper binding between starch and meat solids.